I just read a confession here on the site, and it gripped my heart. I posted the first part below, but head there for the rest of the story.
“I am married with 2 small little girls whom I adore. I grew up in church and regularly attend with my family. I've know the Lord for some time now and never thought I had a problem. My wife and I used to have the best "intimate" time together. After our...
Flirting is a dangerous game of "how close can I get to the ledge without actually falling off of it." This is a game that is played way too often in relationships, and when it comes to pastoral relationships, a game that is often unintentionally played. As pastors, we have this kind of blind trust from those we lead. When we hug, or joke, or look at someone a certain way, it can be easily...
So it’s February, the month of love, the month to go all out, be romantic for your special someone, or try and find a last minute date, or if you’re like me and dating isn’t priority right now, you will be spending your 14th alone or with other single friends, where undoubtly you will all comment on how alone you are, and how much despair and heartache your last ex put you through. Or you’re a...
In his book Boundaries, Henry Cloud says “If you don’t create boundaries for yourself someone will create them for you.” I have always thought about this when struggling to make healthy boundaries in every area of my life. If I am not going to be proactive and set some healthy boundaries in my job, hobbies, time management, television watching, and the list goes on – then someone will set them...
As youth pastors and youth leaders, we’re always thinking of better ways to equip our teenagers to be successful when they leave the nest of our youth ministries. Within weeks of graduation, our seniors will be inundated with opportunities, temptations, and situations that will test their faith and determine the trajectory of their futures. How can we set them up to have the best possible...
This is a great Topic that I’m sure will be viewed with many differing opinions and many different experiences. I’m not sure my insight is the perfect one but I believe it has helped our church in the area of marriage.
First a caveat: I have a few guiding principles that I try and live by that have helped me survive in Ministry. As the discussion of marriage and ministry comes up I think it...
Everyone’s romantic in his or her own way. It is also true that some people have serious impediments to expressing love in a passionate and starry-eyed way. When you struggle expressing your love romantically, occasions like Valentine’s Day can become very daunting and produce large amounts of pressure. When we are in a relationship there will always be some degree of romantic pressure. This...
When you see creation through God’s eyes true beauty is revealed. One of the problems with pornography is it distorts everything you see. Pornography transforms beauty God-honoring women into objects to be used for personal gratification. Instead of seeing a woman as loved by God, as a child of God, we see a woman that may please our perceived sexual needs. What seems crystal clear to our...
'The unexamined life is not worth living' I don't think Socrates had pornography addiction in mind when he uttered these words at his trial for heresy but non the less an apt statement for those ministers struggling for release from a dark addiction. Not only are we caught in the world of pornography but we also shut down our lives and become 'unexamined' for fear of being found out. This is...
